After a brisk run through the forest, the group, led by Deygo, came upon a tall, rock cliff. There was a waterfall flowing with great force down its face, ending in a roiling pool at the base of the rock. Dark clouds had blown over the faces of the moons, covering them and casting darkness over the forest.
“Dammit!” Deygo swore. “I can’t see anything without the light of those moons! Where’s Mwe’n’eh1 when you need him?”
RK squinted up through the blackness towards the top of the cliff, then pointed and declared in a hushed whisper, “There! I see something moving just below the top of the rock!”
“Dude,” Mars said. “It’s pitch dark out here. There’s no fucking way you can be seeing anything on that rock face. You’re just imagining things.”
“I am not! I suppose your whole ‘I’m the cat’ thing is so much better?” RK retorted.
“Hush, both of you,” Eris told them. “It seems you both have something ‘more’ now to offer. It’s a very interesting circumstance, but this is not the time to ponder things. The villagers will be along any moment.” Eris turned to Deygo. “IndiEygo, what do you have in mind?”
Deygo was looking up towards the vaguely discernable outline of the cliff. “I’m going to go up there. There’s a hidden cave just behind the water below the top of the rock. I have a feeling that’s where that cat is headed. Hopefully the villagers don’t know about the cave, otherwise there could be much more trouble than there is already.”
“I’ll go with you,” Eris said. “You’ll most likely need some help once you find the cat, especially if she is injured. She’s probably scared, and, well, you aren’t exactly the friendliest appearing person.” Deygo glared at her through the darkness.
“And what? Leave us down here by ourselves? I don’t think so,” Mars protested.
“That’s an excellent point,” Deygo concurred. “You know what happened last time they were left alone, Ris. And what if the villagers come by? You know neither of these two speak any Nay'weh Spay'chu.”
“Then they can come with us.”
“Whoa whoa! Wait a minute. And climb that thing?” RK said, pointing up the cliff. “No, thank you.”
“Especially when we can’t see where we’re going,” Mars contributed.
“Especially when you can’t see where you’re going. I’m fine; it’s not that dark,” RK muttered under her breath, not realizing that it really was “that dark”. Mars gave her an evil look.
Deygo sighed, exasperated. “Look, Ris, just stay with them, please? It’ll be okay.”
“Fine, IndiEygo, you win. But at least take this band off my head so that I may have all my powers to properly protect them.”
Deygo hesitated.
“IndiEygo…”
“Alright, alright, Ris! You just have to promise me that you will not run away.”
“I would not leave them.”
Deygo moved over and quickly removed the thu’oh’f’tu-bee’n’day’reh from Eris’ head and tucked it away in one of his pockets. Eris took hold of Deygo’s hand, squeezing it tight. “Bay’loo kai’ray’foh’leh.”2
“Thay’loo sai’may’loo tu’loo tute,”3 he replied, then quickly made his way off into the dark.
“What did you tell him?” RK asked.
“I told him to be careful, and he wished the same to us.”
“Do you really think those villagers or that cat are all that dangerous?” Mars questioned.
“The cat, maybe. The villagers – well, any mob is dangerous.”
After a moment, RK asked, “So, now what?” “Now, we wait,” Eris said while sitting down on a nearby rock. Mars and RK stood awkwardly for a moment, not sure what they should do, then followed suit, seating themselves close-by to their protector.
1 Thought-binder
2 Be careful
3 The same to you
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